My Playlist

About the DJ: Right now, I am a senior at Hazen High School, but I am super excited to be spending the next school year at the University of Washington! My hobbies include taking gratuitous selfies with my cat Chico, consuming copious amounts of chai tea, and Netflix binging.

1. Mapei
Mapei premiered the music video for her single "Don’t Wait" last week, and the song has since been on repeat on my iPod every day. Describing her genre as “soulful doo-wop,” this Sweden-based singer shows off her major talent in this enchanting song. Her previous EP Cocoa Butter Diaries is just as awe-inspiring, and I can't wait to see what this new artist will showcase next.

2. Emma Approved
In this interactive webseries, 19th century literature meets 21st century video blogging. Emma Approved is based on the Jane Austen novel, Emma, but this time, Emma Woodhouse is an ambitious lifestyle coach documenting her success in making everyone’s lives better. What sets Emma Approved from many other webseries is that each of the characters run their own social media lives on platforms such as Twitter, Facebook, and Tumblr. Bringing fiction into the real world makes Emma Approved only that much more engaging to stay tuned to.

3. 40 Days of Dating
I’ll be honest, when I first heard the concept of this blog, I couldn’t help but think how much it sounded like a cliche rom-com plot, but I was soon proven wrong. The blog follows two friends with bad relationship habits who make a pact--to date and document their relationship for, you guessed it, forty days. I initially thought that the rules of the project would bring too much structure to come off as genuine. However, looking into the perspective of two very different personalities going through the same relationship made each of their stories evolve in a compelling and organic way.

4. Camp Takota
Grace Helbig, Mamrie Hart, and Hannah Hart — described by many as YouTube’s "Holy Trinity" — released their movie this past February, and as a fan of each of these hilarious ladies, I was very entertained. In Camp Takota, Elise, played by Helbig, returns to her childhood summer camp as a camp counselor after unfortunate events, only to find her old friends working there as well. For those of you who follow YouTube vloggers as passionately as I do, you’ll be excited to see appearances from some familiar faces. A funny and touching story about friendship and finding your passions, Camp Takota does not disappoint.

5. My Mad Fat Diary
Based off real events of writer Rae Earl, My Mad Fat Diary is a British comedy-drama following Rae’s teenage life in the '90s, after leaving a psychiatric hospital. My Mad Fat Diary is one of the most honest television shows I have seen in a while, especially from the perspective of a teenage girl and dealing with issues such as body image, sexuality, and family relationships. Not to mention, the laugh-to-cry ratio while watching every episode is approximately 1:1. I’m crossing my fingers for a third season of this show because I am hooked.